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Sean takes on 30X30 Triathlon Challenge

7/7/17 Marked the first day in local triathlete Sean Conway’s challenge of completing 30 triathlons in 30 consecutive days. No mean feat as it hasn’t been completed on these shores before; with distances totalling 22.5km swimming, 600km cycling and 150km running.

His challenge is raising awareness for to local charities Ellie’s Retreat and the Arc Centre with a hashtag #EllieArc17.

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“I didn’t set out to do anything other than challenge myself and something of this nature hasn’t been done in Ireland before and when I was thinking of that I though why not for charity and have a purpose for the Triathlon Challenge.

“The two charities do amazing work for the community, what they do day and daily is a vocation, and I’m only playing a small part in highlighting their great work and raising money for them in the process.”

Starting in Castle Archdale the backdrop and weather could not have better for the launch of the challenge.

“The first tri was a little special, it took place not 200 yards from Ellie’s Retreat in Castle Archdale, I was excited to get started; people from the Caravan park hadn’t really a clue what was happening but quite a few came and donated and cheered me off.”

With Triathlons dotted from Enniskillen to Kesh there is an opportunity for everyone to be involved.

“I selected locations such as Castle Archdale because of their facilities, surroundings and their relative safety; I want to encourage people to take part in all three or any of the disciplines they feel confident and comfortable doing, this really is about engaging with the community and seeing what we can achieve together.”

Sprint triathlons consist of three elements, broken down into 750m swim 20km cycle and a 5k run.

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“Sprint distance is the step up from entry level triathlon. I deliberately wanted to pick that distance as it was achievable for anyone wishing to take part, yet challenging enough for any seasoned triathlete. I went out on Friday without any aspirations of a time but as soon as I got into the water I knew I had a little speed in me so I went for it and set a PB time of 1:17, not the smartest thing to do on a 30-day triathlon challenge, but I wanted to see what my benchmark was.”

“I want to give a special word of thanks to everyone is helping and supporting my challenge. I have unbelievable support from my girlfriend, family and friends, those are the people that make things like this run smoothly and I can’t do it without them.”

Should you be interested in joining Sean on his challenge, drop him a message on Facebook or through Fear the Turtle Triathlon Coaching.